Category Archives: Leadership

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How to Develop People

Developing people is tough, time-consuming and taxing, but as a leader it is absolutely one of the most important and mission critical tasks you will ever do. People need development. People develop people.

#1- See the need and the potential in the person, before the production. People need development. Productivity takes time.  Development is different than growth. Growth is what you see, development is what you don’t see. Production is what you see, development is what you don’t see. If you are looking for quick fixes and quick growth, you will not succeed for very long in truly developing those around you. You must train yourself to look for the potential in those around you. This is why the NFL, NBA, MLS and MLB spend so much money on scouting, tracking and drafting people with potential. They believe in their system, they can unlock the potential of the one they drafted. You must see the need and the potential.

#2 – Development takes time– relentless, intentional time. You cannot and will not develop people quickly. People are complicated locks that take time to unlock. If you want to develop others for long term success then you have to be in it for the long term. So if you are the one being developed or the one doing the developing, you must surrender your time. This is super hard to do, because we want to value our time. In the development of others, the greatest gift you can give is the undivided, availability of your time. When you give undivided time in the development process you are saying one thing loud and clear: “you are important.” When people feel valued they open their ears, their minds and their hearts.

#3 – Build real, personal relationships. Authenticity is critical in developing others. Initially, with most of those you are developing they will project an image and a persona that they want you to believe in. Your job as a developer is to unmask the one you are developing. Sometimes, masks come off easy, often they take much longer. Masks are signs of pretending and pride. Proud pretenders make terrible people developers.

#4- Teach principles, not performance. Anyone can put on a show. Anyone can interview well. The test of development does not come when you are on stage, but when you are off stage. The test of development comes through adversity, isolation and problems. Principles are timeless truths that guide choices, thoughts and behaviors. Performance is a reaction to a stimulus or a script to be followed. In developing leaders, there is no script. But, there are principles. That’s why a performance may feel powerful for a moment, but it doesn’t last. Principles are powerful, because they last and can be applied in any situation or any circumstance. They give guidance for uncertainty and when there is a lack of clarity. If one thing is for certain in the information age, we have more information with poorer decision making. Thus, we must instill, pound home and chisel timeless truths into the lives of those we are developing. Don’t be afraid to say the same things over and over again–repetition is the key to mastery.

#5 – Set Expectations and clearly communicate them. This is where many leaders go wrong, they assume before they truly set. Assumption leads you to die a slow, frustrating death. Leaders must never assume that those they are developing “get it.” If they “got it” you wouldn’t have to keep repeating yourself or spend time developing them. They don’t get it. That’s why you must set expectations, clarify them and set them again. You must coach, train, develop to the expectations. This is the responsibility of the leader to clearly communicate. The burden of proof regarding setting expectations and communicating them are on the leader, not the one be developed. Now, if they refuse to listen, that is an entirely different story and clearly they are not willing to be developed.

#6 – Release real responsibility into their hands. At some point you have to take the training wheels off the bicycle and let them fall. Now, you must do it in a controlled environment where you have already calculated the risk and set in place contingencies. If you really want to see your team develop, then allow them to fail. This is where all of the helicopter parenting and helicopter education is not helping produce and develop stronger leaders.

Failure is a valuable learning tool. The idea that no one is allowed to fail is simply not only not helpful, it is simply not even true. You don’t build and develop people by shielding them from the consequences of their own failure. Allow them to own their own results. The world is in a “blame anyone but me” mode. This is the environment we live in and develop in. An environment where failure is always someone else’s fault. But, often it is not.

Failure, if approached the right way, builds confidence. David stood and faced Goliath, not because he was Goliath’s equal or because he had more confidence in his ability (although he had great confidence in God), stood there because he had already killed a lion and a bear. And the reason he had killed a lion and a bear is because his father had given him real responsibility to protect the sheep. Jesse, David’s father, knew exactly the dangers his son would face, but he prepared him for danger. He didn’t hide him from danger. Those you are developing need to face the pressure of failure under your protection.

The Law of the Leash: Responsibility

Responsibility is a like leash. When the dog is young and disobedient, but full of energy, the dog needs a short leash. All the dog wants is off the leash. However, the better trained (more responsible) he becomes, the more leash he gets, until he doesn’t pull and jerk you around. Eventually, he graduates from the leash altogether. See responsibility as a leash. Don’t unleash undeveloped leaders, but increase the leash. Eventually, as they demonstrate results that accompany responsibility, take off the leash. But, give more leash, before you take it off completely.

The Law of the Leash: if you are responsible you get a longer leash, if you are irresponsible you get a short leash.

#7 – Above all, hold them accountable. Now, then, this is where accountability comes in. Responsibility demands accountability. This is the least fun, but most impactful part of developing others. This is where great people developers stand out among their peers, they are willing to hold others accountable in the development process. If the results don’t meet the responsibility, reasons need to be examined. There may be some legitimate reasons why the results are lagging. But, never accept excuses. Allowing those you develop to give excuses hinders the development process. I tell my team all the time, “You can be part of the problem or part of the solution, but never both.” Excuses are always part of the problem.

Many people in your organization say want more responsibility, but, what most of them are after is really more authority 0r perceived freedom. They want more power. Most of them cannot handle more responsibility and the accompanying authority that goes with it. The reason you must hold those you are developing accountable is because you have given them more responsibility with authority (power). If they are not using their power correctly, then you need to correct them immediately. This is why “promotion” should follow more responsibility, not precede it. As authority increases, so too must accountability. Far too often, I see more authority given to people followed by less accountability. This will never develop a person well. It will create a tyrant, a boss or a dictator, but never a leader.

What does accountability look like? Well, if the results are lagging and the responsibility understood, then corrective action (pain) needs to be introduced. Pain is an incredible motivator for principled, honest people. This needs to be a private conversation to begin with. Expectations need to be examined and questions asked. Evaluate the one you are developing by their responses. Sometimes, communication was lacking, materials unavailable or extenuating circumstances outstanding. But, when it is not those things, then there must be correction. Make sure the correction fits the consequence. Don’t be too light or too severe. Be measured.

Developing people is a high calling. It can be really frustrating, but even more fulfilling!

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2018

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The Formula to Teach the Young How to Succeed: D.E.E.D.S.

We’ve got to get over what the next generation is not getting and how uncomfortable it is making the previous three generations feel. We have the answers they need and they have the energy we need! You can’t stop change. You can’t contain change. And you can’t control change. But, what you can do is leverage change.

In order to be successful in times of transition, you need a fulcrum. A fulcrum is a physics term that has to with (a) the support that turns a lever or it is a literary term that means (b) the one who supplies capability for action. I like to think of a fulcrum as an individual whom which is used to turn a person or an organization. It can also be a person who helps others turn their thoughts and ideas into the correct course of action. Every formula needs a fulcrum. Every tested formula rests on timeless principles.

What this next generation is missing is simple: principled living.

Smart phones aren’t actually making us any smarter. One day we looked up from our smart phones and realized that we weren’t actually an smarter. We had just become buried in a swamp of information and a quagmire of feelings. Emotional maturity and self-awareness died with the advent of social media and photo filters. As we looked around this landscape where everyone else was still looking at their smart phones we realized a glaring absence from the way we live, the way we make decisions and the direction we are moving towards…the absence of principles. They were lost somewhere along the way when we traded honor for convenience, justice for popularity and the sacred for secular. They were lost amidst a deluge of information and the rapidity of technology changing the way we live. We traded principles for speed, for wealth, but mostly for popularity. Public opinion, which changes like the wind, became more important than principled outcomes. The new generation had their opinions which used to be tested by time and trials, elevated instantly to popular status. A generation that had been told everyone was a winner, then had their opinions, pictures and thoughts elevated to proportions that used to take a life time, maybe to achieve. What was thrown out were the principles of the past in favor of popularity and privilege of the present. The previous generations were not only exposed to principles, but had them ingrained along every stop of life. Leadership, life and learning used to be driven by timeless principles. What has been thrown out in the beginning of this 21st century is the importance of principled living and learning.

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Principles are timeless and tested guidelines that contain truth for application in any situation or circumstance that give clarity for action and response. They are especially helpful for guidance in crisis, confusion and temptation. Principles are like guardrails for the escarpment of high and dangerous places, but also like goads to keep us moving when the temptation to stray into places of pleasure and comfort come calling. If you want to help teach and train the next generation, if you are a part of the next generation, a storm is coming and the thing that you will cling to that will save you and make you successful is principled living.

Let me use a Bible Verse and give you a simple formula that will help you live principled:

“…we are getting what our deeds deserve…“ Luke 23:41

This is part of the conversation as the two thieves on the cross full of a lives that demanded consequence looked upon Jesus as he was dying on the cross and realizing that his deeds didn’t deserve what he was getting.

The formula for success is found in the D.E.E.D.S. These letters are a simple formula for teaching and forming your life around principles. The word serves as a reminder of the principle.

Discipline: Discipline means training yourself for what may come, despite what actually comes. Discipline can be taught. Discipline can be exacted, but only you can be self-disciplined. Self-discipline is dying a rapid death in among a generation that believes that you can be whatever you want to be, do whatever you want to do and not pay a price for it. Discipline is the price you pay to prepare for success. Discipline does not keep you from success, discipline drives you toward success. It is a ten-thousand practice sessions that lead you to the perfect performance. It is the thousand of hours in solitude training when everyone else had quit or gone home that prepare you for the right opportunity. When you are self-disciplined, you are training yourself to face the unknown. This is why we’ve thrown discipline away, because we think we know our futures. We have become masters of our own destinies because information is so readily available. Discipline means doing the right things over and over again even if no one ever recognizes you. You do it because it is right, despite how you feel or how you don’t feel. Discipline is never a matter of the mind, it is always a question of the heart. Discipline is what leads you to effort.

Discipline + Effort

Effort: Effort is the not the great equalizer. It is the great elevator. Effort is both that which takes a few to the top, but many ride it to the bottom. Discipline + Effort is where the elite began to move away from the average. Average people are disciplined people. Elite people are disciplined and give maximum effort. Effort is the amount of energy you are willing to expend. Most people today are looking for the least amount of effort they can give for the maximum return. This is the loser’s attitude. This is the attitude of the entitled, not the elite. You don’t have to be skilled. You don’t have to have great pedigree. You don’t have to have talent in buckets to give effort in buckets. Everyone has the same amount of time, but not everyone will maximize that time with maximum energy. Effort is easy to spot, because it requires energy. Energy is active. Entitlement is static. When you add discipline to effort you sustain results. Effort without discipline creates a pendulum that will swing your results back and forth.

When I ask someone if they are a hard worker, what I am really asking for examples of their effort. Effort is how you measure work. It takes effort to lift your hand to your fork. It takes effort to chew. It takes effort to pick up a shovel. It takes effort to dig. But, it takes endurance to keep digging. Have you worked outside in a while? The earth yields nothing easy! Why then are we always looking for the easy way. Things that last are hard things. Things that fade are quick and easy. If you want with rock, you have to be able to lift it. Effort and discipline are what build spiritual and mental fortitude–muscle. Each generation will ultimately be measure by their fortitude.

Discipline + Effort = Endurance

Endurance. Ah, this principle is one that is seldom talked about, preached or taught any more. I’m not even sure that many of the next generation have any idea what enduring actually is and what is requires. If you lived through the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl in America, then you know what endurance is all about, because you didn’t have a choice if you wanted to survive. If you lived through World War I or World War II, then you know about years of war, losing hundreds of thousands of the best and brightest of the next generation, and living on rations. If you lived through slavery or indentured servitude, then you know about endurance. If you lived on the prairie on a farm, then you know about endurance. If you didn’t have running water, refrigeration or indoor plumbing, then you know about endurance. If your ability to eat and live was based upon the weather, then you know about endurance. But, what does anyone today know about any of these things? We don’t.

Endurance is patience concentrated.
– Thomas Carlyle

Concentration is critical to endurance. The next generation lacks an ability to sustain concentration. Concentration is focus with purpose. In order to be a truly successful endurer, then you have to get over concentrating on yourself. I will say it until I die, in development, you are your greatest enemy. In order to sustain, you have to not only focus, but hold and maintain your energy in a specific direction for an unspecified duration. The next generation just wants to ask “Are we there yet?” That statement was for little children on uncomfortable car trips before portable electronic devices and GPS. Stop asking that question as an adult. You must learn to concentrate or you will never learn to endure.

The problem today is this: abundance never teaches endurance, but endurance is absolutely necessary for success. Endurance is the ability to sustain discipline and effort through prolonged periods of suffering, uncertainty and loss. It was what helped defined “the American Spirit”–this idea that we would keep working, keep going that our bodies would fail long before our spirits would. That is no longer the case. We live in a world of emotional weaklings. Endurance is a question of soul and spirit. It is ability to say yes over and over to the right thing despite the wrong feeling. It is the ability to say no over and over again to the wrong things despite overwhelming temptation. This is because Endurance is not possible without denial, actually, self-denial.

Denial: Denial is the ability to say no. Self-denial is the ability to tell yourself no. No, this is not good for me. No, this will not help me in the long run. No, despite how I feel, this isn’t right. No, I should not respond, I should think spend more time in thought and less time in reaction. Better thought brings for better responses. This is an instant world we live in. We want instant answers, instant coffee, instant food, instant service, instant wealth, instant acceptance and instant success. But, life does not work that way. We must learn to say no. We must learn to tell ourselves no. The opposite of self-denial is self-indulgence. Indulgence is a principle you want to stay very far away from. People that indulge themselves lack restraint. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” This means when you have no vision or the wrong vision, you throw out the ability to tell yourself no.

Denial is a part of waiting. Success is built over time, never in an instance. You may see success happen in what appears to be an instance, but it never is. It is always the result of seasons of preparation, seasons of struggle and seasons of sweat. If you can’t learn to say no, then you lack vision. A vision gives you guide rails or lines to stay inside of. Another word for these buffers are laws. No is the base of laws, because no is absolute. Be willing to hear no. Be willing to accept no. Anarchy and chaos is the absence of no, the absence of restraint. When you can learn to deny yourself, you become more selfless. Selflessness is the final ingredient in the formula of success.

Selflessness: Selflessness is the ability to put your self last, to see yourself only as important as those around you need you to be. We live in the most self-important generation ever. Self-important people are self-promoters. Never have so many unqualified, inexperienced and immature people touted themselves so highly. If you look historically at the strongest generations and strongest societies, they do not preach or teach self-esteem. In fact, they teach the opposite, that self needs no esteem. This subtle shift happened in our culture when popular psychology became more influential than timeless truth. The most successful people don’t look for praise, encouragement or recognition, because they don’t need it. Selfish people need lots of attention. Selfless people need no attention. The code word for attention today is “feedback.” We have over-elevated the importance of feedback. I have learned that feedback among the next generation is really a code word for “positive attention.” As soon as you offer negative feedback it becomes unwelcome.

Dabo Swinney

Selflessness pushes self away and leads you to service. The most successful leaders are those who see themselves as servants of the organization. They see that they serve the greater good. I heard the NCAA College Football National Championship Head Coach of the Clemson Tigers, Dabo Swinney say recently that his role as head coach was “to serve the 30 year old version” of the 18-year old standing in front of me. It requires selflessness to place yourself in unpopular positions based upon truth and conviction. You will never serve others if you aren’t selfless. It’s not that you think less of yourself, its that you think of yourself less! The selfless person doesn’t ever see themselves as arriving only departing. The selfish person is only focused on the arrival. Successful people keep departing, keep learning, keep growing and keep serving. You can’t be selfless without continual humility. You must chose to be humble, even as you are ambitious, seek success and and lead others. Don’t make it about you. Make it about them. Selfless people have genuine joy when others succeed. In fact, they have become so emptied of self, they make it part of their personal mission to see others reach their maximum potential and their calling.

Discipline + Effort + Endurance + Denial + Selflessness = Success

The leverage you need to succeed is a principled life. It is your character that matters more than your competency. It is your reality that will influence your destiny not your fantasy. You will become a fulcrum in your home, on your team or in your organization as you apply these principles to your life. Your influence and impact will both grow. You will not have to look for success. Success will find you. Success is like a magnet. It is drawn towards those who are emitting and sustaining the right attraction. We are in an exciting time on planet earth. To maximize our footprint and our legacy we must live disciplined, principled lives. A world in flux needs leaders who are like fulcrums!

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

 

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What Keeps Talent Connected – The Power of the Moon Pie

How do you stop people from leaving?

Simple, give them a reason to stay. The more reasons they have to stay, the longer it takes them to leave.

When I was a boy, my father pastored a small country church in rural South Carolina. I would often go on hospital and home visits with him. He was wonderful at visiting the elderly, the sick and the lonely. The lonely would always make it very difficult for him to leave. Sometimes, they would follow us out to the car, hold on to the door or lean in the window. They would tell a new story, ask a question or, the one that was sure to keep us longer, bring out dessert! I remember one dear old widow, Mrs. Kirby, she brought out the big guns: an RC Cola and a Moon Pie! That was worth staying every time. See, they didn’t want my dad to leave. He was meeting their needs. They were giving him reasons to stay.

Leaders today have to come on strong with reasons that help talent stay in the organization. One thing won’t do. It takes a talent strategy. The days of showing up and expecting people to stay are history. Reality is they are going to leave.

So what can you do to slow the departure down?

People stay on teams, in organizations and with leaders because of many reasons. The more of these reasons your people see and grasp, the harder it is for them to leave. Let’s call these reasons by a different name: connections. Connection is a word that millennials and centennials really understand. Because, the world we live in an upside down world. The people that work with you and for you have fewer meaningful relationships, are less emotionally mature and have greater anxiety about the future. They are entering the work force with bigger dreams, more debt and greater uncertainty.

Leaders, organizations and employers who create the following connections have a much greater chance at keeping their developing talent longer…

1- Create an atmosphere of clarity. Clarity produces a level of certainty. When things are clear, it is easier for a team member to make a connection–to see where they belong. Clarity is never found through complexity, but always in simplicity. As a leader you need a shorter, simpler and more concise brand message. Too many leaders and organizations are trying to be someone or something that they are not. This plays very false to a generation that demands authenticity. Clarity combined with a life lived driven by a passionate calling is a powerful magnate.

“There are few things more powerful than a life lived with passionate clarity.”
~Erwin McManus

2- Create a powerful sense of purpose. People no longer do things because they are supposed to. This is because somewhere in the past two decades people stopped teaching, stopped accepting and stopped passing on what was supposed to be done. Now, everything is questioned. This is reality. People don’t stay because they are supposed to. They stay because they want to. They stay because they feel respected, they feel wanted and they feel valued.

3- Offer ownership whenever possible. What is ownership? It is a sense of possession with a purpose. Once, people know their purpose, then empower them to possess parts of the business, the organization and the team. This is very difficult for the leader who wants to control everything. Empowerment never comes solely through instruction. It must be paired with investment and the ability to fail.

What?

Ownership is about winning and losing. No one wins all the time–that belief is fantasy. Leaders that win with talent operate in reality.  If you create an organizational path or track where there is no real possibility of failure, then you will never produce people who can win without you. And if they can’t win without you, they will absolutely leave you.

4- Make promises you can deliver on. Don’t say things to keep people you never intend on truly fulfilling. I observe many leaders who will say just about anything to try to keep people on the hook. This is no good. As soon as people get on a hook and they realize it, they want off. But, if people feel connected or plugged in, then they want to stay longer.  This is a generation that wants action, that wants results. When you make promises or say things haphazardly that you don’t follow through on, you create an instant disconnect–literally, you are pulling the plug. This is why simplicity of purpose, simplicity of structure and simplicity of advancement are critical. The simpler the promise, the easier it is to fulfill. If your organization can’t afford a perk, promotion or benefit, then don’t talk about it. Don’t say, “Well, one day we’d like to offer x, y, and z.” That’s no good. All you are doing is speaking into a false reality and you will pay later for it by your talent leaving you. In an age of uncertainty, people are looking for leaders and organizations to deliver on their promises. A promise is a commitment and the world is short on keeping it’s commitments these days. Organizations and leaders need to speak the truth and keep it. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut. Don’t talk about one day…talk about today! 

“Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.”

~C. S. Lewis

5- Be generous with your personal time. Be generous with your time. Leaders that give their time freely to their subordinates inadvertently kill bureaucracy. Don’t make people pay for your time. You are busy. You are a leader. Leaders are busy. Everyone knows that. Personal one-on-one or small group settings are hugely instrumental for the leaders of tomorrow. Giving your personal time is an investment into the lives of the next generation. They have access to an abundance of information, but little to no access to wisdom and experience. This is why spending time with you is so valuable to them. Even if you don’t think they are listening, they are. You are the model. The best models can be studied up close. The best models invite careful scrutiny and the freedom to explore. If you are an absent leader or a distracted leader, then you will never unlock the potential of those developing leaders in your organization.

“You have had many instructors but few fathers, therefore, imitate me…“

Paul, the Apostle

6- Invest resources when it makes sense. Often, organizations today just throw money at people as if it will solve the problem. Let me tell you the problem with this “solution”: money can’t create value, it demands to be valued. For example, you offer to pay a person more money to stay with you or start them at a higher rate. All you have done is wage into a bidding war that is easily outdone by the person or organization that comes along and offers more money at a later date. Money is a race with no winner. Because money and perks are unable to satisfy the deepest longings of a persons need for acceptance and value. I tell my team, “I want you to make more money. In fact, I want to pay you more. So, let’s get to work on making this organization more productive. A high tide rises all ships.” When you make it about the money, you enter a path that is impossible to return from. Instead of “paying people more” the solution is to “invest in people more.” It’s subtle, but it’s a mindset shift. It places the emphasis on the people instead of the resource.

7- Tell great stories that promote people. People love stories. People want stories told about them. Get good at telling stories. We have so many forms of media, so many channels by which to tell stories of our people that we have no reason not to. Find people in your organization and (with their permission) tell their story. Media is simply an avenue at telling stories. Humans can not resist a good story. The better you are at telling true stories, the more inspired your people will be to stay with you, especially when you start telling their story. I have a couple of former all-American athletes that work with me. Every time I introduce them, I say, “This is Mandy or Steph, she was an All-American at…” One day, with a huge smile on her face Mandy a college graduate and record-setting All-American soccer player said, “Why do you always tell people I was an All-American when I played in college?” I responded, “Do you like being introduced that way?” She said with a bigger smile, “Yes…” I simply replied, “That’s why!”

The key to winning people is connecting with them, especially at the deepest level the heart. If you only see your people as assets or liabilities for your benefit, your revolving door will move much quicker. See, everyone has a revolving door on talent these days. The solution is not to get mad at the door or live in denial that such a door exists, but to slow the door down. When people connect with you, your purpose/calling and they feel valued, the bottom line is they stay longer.

Talent is a revolving door. You don’t need a new door, when all you need is to slow the door down.

 

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

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For the Frustrated Leader – How to Work Your Way out of Frustration

How frustrated are you today?

Chances are there is some frustration in your life today. And if not, then there was some yesterday and there will certainly be some tomorrow. A frustrated leader is a fruitless leader.

Leadership is more frustrating than an at any point in recent or near recent history. There are many reasons for this. We wont dive into them, because dealing with the symptoms is largely ineffective, if you neglect the cause. We need to find the root(s) of this frustration. Leaders are frustrated. That’s a fact, we’ll accept it and move forward. Work is being done, but is it the right work?

Let’s dig deeper.

There is a zone where leaders enter that is hard to shake, yet has a great negative effect on the leader. This zone is called the frustration zone. It is a place where results (often because of results), personnel and activity lock the leader in a perpetual place of frustration. The boundaries aren’t clear. They are fuzzy. Frustration feels like a maze, that often the harder you work at getting out, the more lost or frustrated you become. Despite trying various solutions or reorganizing your team, the frustration remains. You are working harder and harder, yet you still are more confused and frustrated. Welcome to the frustration zone. There are some things you can do that will help you work your way out of the soul-stymieing and brain-blowing place of frustration that you are in, have just left or are heading in again.

How to Work Your Way Out of Frustration:

 

1- Rest. Frustration leads to life imbalance, especially for hard-working, over-achievers who also happen to be leaders. You feel the responsibility, you feel the lack of results. And as a result, your frustration mounts, relationships fray and thoughts narrow. You are short and curt with those around you. But, you wont and don’t end up solving problems and seeing solutions with heavy eyelids or an exhausted body. A lot of the time frustration is simply a by-product of over-work and over-activity.

The first thing you need to do is pull back. Now, I didn’t say pull out. Abandonment or ignorance is not the solution. Rest allows you to renew your perspective. Every individual needs rest. Sometimes, we simply pile too much on ourselves and others. Organizations and teams need rest. Ask any successful sports team what happens the day after a game, it’s a physical day off.  Vocations are contests and struggles. We are always going to run into frustration because the earth yield’s nothing worthwhile easy. That means there is stress. Stress wears you out physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Rest rejuvenates, renews and restores. Leaders and organizations need rest. But, most are unwilling to take what they need most.

Rest is a reset. Do you remember the original Nintendo? Back in the day when the Nintendo (16 bit) would get hot because you played it too much and your thumbs hurt from pressing down on the directional pad too much for too long, you had to hit the reset button. Often, we get so locked in that we neglect rest. Rest for our bodies, our minds and our souls. Like the Nintendo, we had to hit reset. Eventually, to rest our eyes and our thumbs, our parents would make us turn it off…this was always a problem, because early video games lacked automatic save points. So, we would desperately plead with Mom to not cut our game off in the middle of a stage. Often, she would intervene and unplug it. We needed rest. We were neglecting other things that were important. Problems magnify when you are tired. Your brain, your body and your soul need rest, in order to function at it’s highest level. When you’ve been playing/running hard for a long time, your vision is narrow, your energy is waning and your responsiveness is slow.

2- Plug Yourself Into the Problem. After you’ve rested, and you’ve had time to meditate on the thing of greatest frustration, go plug yourself into a new place. Too many leaders withdraw and make their decisions and judgments from a position too far removed from the place of greatest frustration. If you aren’t getting the results on your team or in a department that you are capable of, then go insert yourself into that area. You need to feel, to see and to experience what those that you are leading are experiencing. You can never lead people effectively if you can’t relate to them and don’t understand what they are going through. Sometimes, leaders need to give themselves a new office, a new position on the front line. This may temporarily cause the frustration to increase, but now you will see more clearly the causes or effects of the frustration. You can’t fix what you can’t see and haven’t touched. Listen carefully, I didn’t say glue yourself to the problem. Plugging in means you can also unplug. Gluing in means you are stuck. Getting stuck is not a healthy place for a leader or the organization to be in.

3- Clarify Your Expectations. Our frustration increases when we assume on the behalf of those working with us or for us. We expect our leaders or our followers to know what to do and maybe they should. However, if you want to be truly effective as a leader, then, you take the burden of responsibility and assume the expectations are unclear. Clarifying the expectations goes a long way in clearing the chaotic air, in decreasing the pressure of frustration and dividing the responsibility up among the team. When expectations are unclear the law of human nature is to reject the responsibility. Often this is not intentional, but it is an uninetentioal by product of a lack of communication. When expectations aren’t clear, individuals, departments and teams often take a mind set of self-preservation. When the ship is sinking followers find a flotation device and hold on. Leaders get to a place where they can be heard and give clear, calm direction and instruction.

Hares, Turtles & Clydesdales

When things aren’t clear, your people like a turtle will tuck their head back in their shell. Like the turtle things will slow down, which will only increase your frustration. A moving turtle is an effective turtle–maybe not as effective as you thought. Don’t think you want an organization full of hares, because as soon as a hare is frightened they run anywhere as fast as they can to get away from the perceived danger. Hares are fast, but flighty. Turtles are methodical and determined. Fixing frustration is never a quick fix, as you strengthen your turtles you can help them develop into Clydesdales. Clydesdales are trainable, dependable and strong. They can pull lots of weight continually over an extended time on a long journey. If you give a bunch of responsibility to a bunch of hares, they will run all over the place creating a lot of activity, but simultaneously increasing your frustration. Clarifying your expectations pushes you toward patience. Impatience is always a root of frustration.

4- Work on One Thing. Far too often leaders see every problem all at once. This is overwhelming. Your brain can only process so much information at one time. Your brain has a hard time working out more than one solution at a time. You have limited thought capacity and limited physical capacity. This means you only have a certain amount of thought energy and physical energy. You must measure where you will invest both types of energy. Wasted energy only leads to more frustration.

A leader must identify one thing to work on at a time. And be willing to work on only that one thing until it gets right. To work on one thing, the entire organization must have one focus, one voice and one direction. Organizations and leaders that are pulled in multiple directions and allow it are accelerating greater stress, which leads to division and ultimately collapse.

Being overwhelmed makes you feel hopeless. When you are hopeless depression follows. A depressed leader is an uninspiring and apathetic leader. No one follows a depressed leader for long. Medical experts (I’m not one) say that depression can be caused by chemical imbalances. I have found that depression is often triggered by helplessness in the face of a deep personal fear. Fears can lead to worry. Worry leads to anxiety. Anxiety is a state of mind that ushers you into depression. A depression is a low place. Fears never inspire us. Fears never elevate us. Fears never raise us to new heights. Often our frustration is a symptom of one of our fears. If you can find the fear, then you can often release the frustration. As you learn to recognize what triggers that fear, you can work on strategies and mechanisms to overcome that fear.

You can’t lead tomorrow’s yield with yesterday’s you!

Often, the business, the organization is growing, but the leader isn’t growing. This only causes the organization to suffer more. You can’t lead tomorrow’s yield with yesterday’s you. If you aren’t growing you are dying. If you are in neutral you are sliding backwards. Changing gears is often painful for a leader. To grow when you are stuck, you most often need to downshift.

5- Find Your Blind Spots. Every leader has flaws, few leaders will admit it. These flaws further frustration when you are not aware of them. Some blind spots are self-imposed because of hyper-focus. Most other blind spots are the results of being human. As a human, you are fallible, imperfect, biased and flawed. This seems and feels entirely too vulnerable and exposed for most leaders and their organizations to admit. There is no perfect leader (other than Jesus) and there is no perfect organization, because people are involved.

You are not the solution to finding and fixing your blind spots. Too many leaders think and act like they are. To find your blind spots, you need a small circle of trusted, truth-tellers who will call you out and speak in to your blind spots. These trusted, truth-tellers do not in any way benefit from telling the truth, in fact, if the relationship is not viewed as equal, they often fear reprisal and retribution. They value conviction more than compensation. They value doing things right over what is convenient or expedient. They value people over profits. It is arrogant to operate independently from wise counselors. Most people don’t volunteer their counsel for fear of reprisal. You have to find someone you trust and allow yourself to be vulnerable and transparent. If they tell you what you want to hear, they are not right for you. You need those who will tell you what you need to hear. They will not validate your bad ideas. They will not whistle while you work in frustration. They will pierce your heart and your bad ideas with the truth…and, if you are wise and want out of frustration, you will love and respect them for it.

6- Become the C.E.O. (Chief Encouragement Officer). Not only do you often need to change your position, but you often need to change your title. Give yourself a title that no one will pay you for and that doesn’t give you any more power, but the power to lift those around you up. People need to be inspired and when you are frustrated, you are uninspired. An uninspired leader can never inspire an uninspired follower. But an uninspired leader can encourage an uninspired follower. I have discovered that at the greatest points of my frustration the best way for me to serve my organization was to go around and just start encouraging all those who work for me. Instead of trying to prod people into better results and into the right places, I just started patting everyone on the back.

Truett Cathy

“How can you tell if someone needs encouragement?”

 “If they are breathing.“

A frustrated leader must become selfless and put his frustration to the side and simply start encouraging those around him. Encouragement lifts the soul and spirit of those whose minds and flesh are tired and overwhelmed. Encouragement is a fresh wind. A frustrated leader is most often blowing hot air or stale wind.

7- Ask for Help. Don’t pay for help. Get rid of the people that are benefiting from your frustration. Ask for help. There are people who are willing to help that don’t need payment for their counsel. These people are invaluable. These people are loyal and bought in. They are owners without voices. As a leader, you need to hear from your team, especially the long-term, most loyal ones. These are often the most silent. They observe, they feel, they see, but they stay silent. They aren’t leaders, they are followers and they will follow you right over a cliff or into a ditch.

Perhaps, the greatest release of frustration is when your soul is at liberty. Liberty is freedom. The mind follows the heart and the heart is the home of the soul. Frustration is felt in the identity of the leader. Your identity is truly in your heart. Many times frustration is a heart issue with the heart of the leader. Because the leader has been given great purview and responsibility for people, resources and opportunities, frustration is really a test that the leader is failing. This is known to only the leader and a small circle of perceptive people. To acknowledge this failure is to have an identity crisis. But, what the leader doesn’t realize is that the perpetual frustration signifies than an identity crisis is currently on-going. The organization will feel the effects of the leader’s heart. This leader has but one option left: ask God for help.

This is the ultimate act of humility, asking God for help and waiting for him to send it.  Leaders must recognize and accept that there are elements, actions and forces at work that are beyond their control. We are limited. But, we think we can fix our frustration, but, yet we find ourselves still locked in frustration. God is unlimited. Our soul must get still before God and surrender. We must admit that we need help, that the frustration is really in our hearts. God introduces frustration into the lives of those he loves. This frustration is often then passed to followers and the organizations they run. Most people are quick to say, “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” except when they are the leader!

Leader, locked in frustration, get still, ask God for help and wait on his response. While you are waiting, by faith go back to work and watch for God to realign, reset or restore your former joy.

“Be still and know that I am God.“

Psalm 46:10

 

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

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Don’t Be Afraid to Wait

You’ve heard it said, “Good things come to those who wait.” Well, not always, sometimes more waiting just comes. But, don’t be afraid to wait!

Everyone hates a waiting room. Everyone hates waiting in line. We don’t mind lines if we are first, because waiting makes us feel unimportant, devalued and impatient.  But, purposeful waiting has value.

Waiting is a part of life, but it is not punishment. We most often view waiting as penalty. This is an error.  Pointless waiting feels like punishment. But, waiting is powerful when you wait with a purpose. If you need to see the doctor, but his waiting room is full, getting up and leaving is not going to get you the diagnosis or medicine that you need. The purpose of the visit was to see the doctor, the waiting was part of the process. If you need to get your car repaired, a good mechanic will take you, but you will have to wait. The baseball batter has to wait for the ball to arrive. The wise shopper has to wait for the sale to arrive. Sadly, we have grown so self-centered and self-absorbed that we rarely view waiting as a positive part of any process.

One reason that we don’t like to wait is that we see ourselves as the priority. We like to be waited on. Yes, admit it, most people if the truth be known like to be waited on. Now, we don’t want to seem that arrogant so we call it “pampering ourselves,” “taking a me day” or even recently I have seen “I don’t feel like adulting today.”  The reality is we really enjoy being waited on. Now, it can get uncomfortable if we actually think about the other people who are doing the waiting, so we don’t. We keep our minds on how much we are enjoying the experience and what benefit it is bringing us. We pay ridiculous amounts of money to get our hair done, not because it actually increases our value, but it increases our perceived value. We pay ridiculous amounts of money on shopping and getting new clothes, not because it actually changes anything about us, but because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We waste ridiculous amounts of time in and on activities that don’t actually make us any smarter, give us any more wisdom or create in us any more faith. When self is the priority, self is served. Self hates waiting (perhaps one very critical reason God makes his people wait).

Another reason we don’t like waiting is we don’t actually practice the habit or behavior of waiting. What we do practice is convenience, immediacy, and instant expectation. We do this because we want instant gratification. Delayed gratification has died. No one wants to wait for anything. For millennia, people had no choice but to wait. They were dependent upon the seasons, upon their families and their neighbors. They didn’t depend on the government, the news, the credit lender, their employer or the internet. Because they had no choice but to wait, they had to accept that waiting is a part of life–their life. We don’t mind waiting to be a part of life–just not our life.  In order to be effective at any thing, you have to learn to become a good waiter. A good waiter is disciplined, committed and faithful. But, most importantly a good waiter is attentive. Attentiveness is where readiness meets preparation. The best waiters are attentive to every detail and then move with certainty and anticipation. When you are a bad waiter, you don’t anticipate you react because you were not ready.  A good waiter has learned the value and importance of the behavior of waiting with a purpose and acts accordingly with purpose and anticipation.

Another reason we don’t like to wait is we are afraid to wait. We are afraid to wait, because we are afraid to miss out. We are afraid to miss out because we don’t view God as sovereign and faithful. In fact, most often, we live like we want God to wait on us. Fear is a part of life. There is no escaping the fact of fear, but you can be free from the fiction of fear. The  fiction of fear is the feeling of uselessness, hopelessness and pointlessness which causes worry, anxiety and hurry.  Because, we allow these fears to fester, we often live in a self-induced sphere of the perpetual fear of missing out. Social media has done some good.  However, a negative by-product of social media is the constant bombardment of seeing what you think you are missing (advertisers know this). Social media is a clever construct of fantasy for most people. Who posts their bad days? If they do, too often you get annoyed and  you “unfollow’ them or ignore them. It doesn’t fit in our afraid-to-wait-no-bad-days narrative. Social media looking at filtered parts of peoples’ lives often creates unnecessary pressure on you. This self-created pressure leads to anxiety, doubt and premature activity (called rushing).

Another reason we don’t like waiting is because we have been conditioned to rush. When you rush, you are in a hurry. To hurry is to act quickly with little concern for discipline or focused activity. The focus is on the movement not the mission. There are many things in life you can’t hurry and expect success. Ask any baker, any builder, any artist, any musician or any chef if waiting is a part of their process. Speeding things up is detrimental in many cases, actually in most cases. You can’t rush growth. Good growth takes time. Rapid growth often creates a pattern of instability and imbalance. Efficiency is not rushing. Efficiency is where productivity meets responsibility. Rushing is where impatience meets activity.

Maturation is a process that takes time. The world is subject to God’s law of time. God’s law of time is that he set it, controls it and you & everyone else are subject to it. You cannot advance it or turn it back. You live in and with the time you are allotted. According to recent reports, the world is actually slowing down by a millisecond each year. So, although we are speeding up our connections, actions and activities, the world we walk on is actually slowing down. God controls time. You are responsible for the time you have been granted. Waiting is a sub-law of time. Learn to wait and your time becomes more valuable, more useful. If you can’t learn to wait, you will never be effective at resting or at worshiping or leading people.

Effective leaders, effective parents and effective followers will all learn to wait well. They see that waiting with a purpose is trusting God with the outcome, with the unseen and with your time. Waiting with a purpose drives fear away and renews your strength. There are some things that you are not designed, gifted or able to make happen. Therefore you have to wait. God will send the response. Your name will be called. God will send the help. But, you have to wait. Waiting means God is working, most often in you or through you.

“but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“

Isaiah 40:31

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

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Mistakes Leaders Make Today with Tomorrow’s Talent

The talent shoreline has changed. Developing leaders standing where you used to stand doesn’t work anymore. Waiting for the tide to come back in isn’t going to happen, because the shore line moved out. You are standing, waiting and meanwhile the weeds are growing up around you while you sink in the mud. You are holding on to your old mindset and its only weighing you down further. Your competition has moved down to the new shoreline. You are frustrated. But, if you want to catch fish, you have to go where they are. They aren’t where you are anymore.

There are some common mistakes leaders make in development today, especially the next generation of leaders. Development is never accidental or casual. Development is an intentional and critical system. Development is not natural, decay is natural. So, assuming that people will develop because they are present, working hard and seem to be listening is a mistake. You must intentionally engage in the development process and activate a development system.

Every system doesn’t have to look the same. A leadership development system is reflective of the leader guiding it, thus leadership systems will look different. But, one commonality is that the system will actually produce and develop new leaders. Let me say this as well, not every person you are trying to develop into a leader will work out. But that’s not an excuse to keep having the same failures and making the same mistakes.

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Frequent Failures Leaders Make Today:

Failure to construct a system for new leaders to develop in. With what and who we are dealing with today, a leadership development structure is absolutely essential to facilitate the maturation of new leaders. Millennials and Centinnials need structure in all that they do–including steps to grow as a leader. Organizations and leaders who realize this and create a platform are attracting and winning the top talent. Leaders of organizations must invest time, resources and energy into a structure that engages and guides the next generation through development. If you leave the next generation working for you to “figure out for themselves” (because that’s what we did), the only thing they will figure out is how fast they are going to leave you.

Failure to have a leadership strategy. Yes, you actually need to have a leadership strategy. No war is won without a strategy. We are in this War for Talent. And guess what? The Millennials won. There are 82 millions Millennials and only 63 million Gen. Xers and 72 million Baby Boomers. There are more Millennials and they had the weight to fundamentally alter the way we think, the systems we use and where we will work. The work still has to get done, but we are now in the aftermath of the war. This is called reconstruction. You must have a strategy, because your competitors do. A leadership strategy is a plan that systematically recruits, retains, develops and releases leaders.

Failure to launch. The point of your leadership development system is to launch these new leaders out. Now, what is actually counter-intuitive is that when you talk about departure and launch, these next-gen leaders actually seem to stay in your organization longer. But, if you aren’t willing to launch new leaders away from your organization, you become an unattractive organization. Be willing to create a system that has a launch point for your leaders. In today’s talent pool, creating a system that celebrates the launch and promotes the launch and looks forward to launch is actually becomes highly attractive for the top talent.

Failure to recognize the cost. The cost of development requires more than ever before. Many leaders today are applying the same mindset around development and cost. Grooming people who will “one day” be ready to be a leader simply doesn’t happen at the rate it once did. Those days are gone. Developing leaders is like fishing. The fish still bite, but the gear, the equipment and getting to the fishing hole cost more, often significantly more. Just as egos have inflated, the cost to develop leaders has inflated as well. You can not like it, you can not accept it, but this will not help you recruit, retain, develop and launch new leaders. You are going to have to spend more. This is why a strategy is so important, otherwise you will fail to see the return you desire.

Failure to invest.  Investment means you are addressing risk. There is a risk in releasing your resources to the unknown. However, you must be willing to invest in new methods, new ideas and new processes in your leadership development strategy. You must not only have new hooks in the water, but new nets and new divers! The good news today is that a little goes a long way with millennials. You don’t have to invest extravagant sums, but you need greater frequency. Next gen leaders need more access to the top leadership. IMG_9688

Failure to create a leadership network. A network is part of the strategy, its not the strategy. A network by definition is a group of interconnected people. Your leaders are already way more connected than you realize. They connect with everyone. Many leaders today fail to engage these systems of connectivity. Create a leadership network of past leaders, present leaders and future leaders. Every leadership system today should look at the value of an alumni network. Viewing your leaders that left you as assets as opposed to simply absent, will engage the sense of value in your whole system. They already stay connected with those in your organization. Alumni can become some of your best advocates, promoters and recruiters.

Failure to see themselves as a follower. Every leader better have someone they are following. The death of leadership is arrival. Arrival is complacency. Complacency leads to apathy.  When a leader feels like they have arrived, they’ve reached the pinnacle of their ability, they begin to take more than they give. Too many modern leaders detach from themselves being a disciple. If you don’t have a plumb line, you will build where ever the pressure pushes you. You will accept less than the best because pressure creates desperation, panic and anxiety. Leaders must keep learning and keep applying. Great leaders who are also great followers are easy to follow. Leaders who are only following themselves or the wind are difficult to follow. When you are difficult to follow, look back and look around, chances are you’ve had a trail of people leaving you.

Failure to put in more than they take out. When a leader begins to reap the benefits of what they have sown, many times a subtle mindset shift happens. This subtle shift moves from “put in” to “take out.” This is a temptation and a trap that is easy to fall in and is devastating to the development of your people. These days what leaders are putting in requires more than ever before because of scale, volume, pace and complexity.

Failure to adapt. Because the shoreline has changed, you must adapt. Without adapting you will be overwhelmed and overcome. Many leaders today feel exactly that: overwhelmed and overcome. This creates extra tension and pressure in the whole organization. Adaption is the adjustment to environmental conditions. Your talent environment has changed. When you fail to adapt, you end up getting trapped. Being trapped means being stuck. When you are stuck, you don’t move and you get left behind. Leaders today must practice strategic adaption. Which means you don’t change who you are, you change what you do. This is the fundamental difference. Many leaders fear adapting for fear of change. Embrace the change of what you do or how you do it, not the change of why you do it.

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Failure to move in humility. Failure to adapt is often a sign of pride. Pride will kill leadership development quicker than any other thing. Pride is a heart issue. I’m not talking about the pride of shared joy in an accomplishment. I’m talking about the insidious pride of self-centeredness. When a leader makes it all about themselves, they are self-centered. Successful leaders practice humility, which means they easily recognize others and don’t need recognition themselves. Too many leaders today will not adapt because of pride. Pride makes you angry, frustrated, lazy and aloof. Humility keeps you hungry, engaged and serving. Humility helps you remember why you started developing leaders in the first place.

The greatest leader outside of Jesus Christ was one of his chief followers/disciples, Paul the Apostle. Paul spoke about adaptation in his disciple-making strategy. He said, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). This is some of the best counsel that I can ever offer someone frustrated in their development of others. Paul is basically saying, “I adapt whenever necessary to the standing of others, so that I can relate to them and win them.” If you really want to win with talent, you must adapt. You don’t win talent by demanding they become like you. You win talent by going to where they are.

Failure to paint a picture of better & brighter tomorrow. The next generation leader already has a very clear picture of what their tomorrow looks like–even if you think it is just fantasy. If you don’t speak into that picture or paint a better picture their tomorrow, then their shelf-life with you will be extremely short and you wont have an opportunity to bring reality into the fantasy.  And it’s pretty hard to develop a leader when they leave you. Leaders today must paint accurate pictures of a better and brighter future.

Failure to speak with a social conscience. This is why I have found that despite the perceived unpopularity of my Christianity, when I speak with a social conscience, the next generation leader welcomes and responds. The next gen leader has more of a social conscience than ever before. Your leadership development style and structure needs to at least acknowledge this reality, if not engage this reality. Millennials really want to make their world a better place for everyone. Now, they often are not entirely sure how to do this or where to start. This is where you come in. You have resources, you have connections in your community and you do have a social conscience. A social conscience basically means you care and will demonstrate concern for others.

Conclusion

Developing leaders is always worth it. Today talent costs more and demands more. The shoreline has moved. The talent tide will not return. Throw off your pride, slosh through the sand and rediscover the joy of a new talent beach.

 

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(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

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The Secret to Winning with Your Millennial Leader

The Secret to Winning and Developing Your Millennial Leaders is simply this:

If you want to truly influence them, then you have to understand where they are. Many leaders today only understand where they aren’t.

This article is designed to help the Baby Boomer, Baby Buster and Gen. X leader gain better insight into the mindset of the millennial leader. If you have leaders from 20 to 35, then you have millennials who are leaders or see themselve as leaders. Stop trying to change reality and start understanding it. Ignorance leads to arrogance. Increase your insight and your leadership development strategy will be better for it. Too many senior leaders have created a leadership culture that is unforgiving to millennial leaders. If you want to win in leadership today, you better learn what makes the millennial mindset tick. Then, you can teach it how to tock!

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Millennials are bombarded with information, yet they are highly selective and individualization in what they believe works best for them. Human nature has not changed. But, our access to information has changed. This has accelerated the belief-and-achieve curve, inflated egos and self-assurance among the next generation called Millennials. But, a lesson for every Millennial, Centennial, Gen X’er and Baby Boomer is this information doesn’t make you a leader any more than a new paint job makes a car without an engine move.

Leaders today must learn what’s under the hood before they hit the road.

There’s one question that can quickly get you past so much of your frustration and help you identify a better course action with your millennial leaders or millennials your are trying to develop. This question will help you understand where your millennial is building from or why they aren’t able to build much at all.

Ask this question: “Who is your model?”

Chances are 50% of them will pause, look at you like you just asked them if they speak Nepalese, and say “Myself, I guess.” The next large group of them will say someone they have never met or someone that is really only an acquaintance. The smallest group will identify either you or someone in your organization. If I have learned nothing else in my over 20 years of leading and developing people it’s this: Every successful leader has had a model or models that has influenced them greatly. No leader pops out of the womb or arrives on the scene ready to lead all by themselves with no outside influence, no training and no development. That kind of leader is reckless and inexperienced. That kind of leader is like putting a toddler behind the wheel of Tesla. The reality for many of your millennials is they simply have the wrong model or no model at all. You cannot be your own model. Sadly, many leaders across the generation divides have this strategy. When you are your own model you are destined for failure.

Ask your Millennials who they are modeling themselves after. How they respond will give you better insight into where they really are in their leadership development and growth track.

Lesson #1 – Teach Millennials the Model is for Measurement. View leadership development as growth. We have a “growth chart” on our wall in our mud room at home for our children. Each September, my wife will measure them on the wall and make a mark. I remember as a middle-schooler using my mother as my measuring stick. I remember catching her in height and then passing her. But, once I passed her I needed a new model–my dad. Millennials must also be taught that a model is not solely for admiration and accreditation. Most of our young leaders have a strong desire to build a large network, but only in as much as they can get from it and not give into it. Be careful that you don’t foster the idea that a model is more than a reputation or status enhancer. A model is for emulation and measurement.

Get the Model Right

It is important to select the right model. The right model is a more than modern mentoring. Modern mentoring is rapidly becoming an exercise in frustration and futility. A good model is consistent in practice, character and conduct. A good model exercises wisdom and sound judgment. A good model is a good leader who seeks the growth and maturation of others.

A model is a person that serves as a pattern for others with character qualities worthy of imitation. A model serves as a point of reference and who has a position that will influence and foster growth in others.

When you have the wrong model, you are shaping yourself the wrong way.

Recently, I sat down with a frustrated millennial leader. This leader didn’t understand why they weren’t getting promoted. I stopped them after hearing a lot of excuses and asked this question: “Who is your model? Who are you modeling yourself after?”

This leader paused. Looked at me. Looked out the window. Looked back and me and said, “No one here, really. Just myself, I guess.”

I responded, “That’s the problem.” When you have the wrong model, you get the wrong results. Since, all leaders start at immaturity and are growing up toward greater maturity, models are critical to our development. Models are others who are at a more mature place in their own development and have qualities and attributes that are worthy of emulation and replication. A young leader might do many things well, but no one (except Jesus) does all things well.

Lesson #2 – Millennials tend t0 choose a make over a model. Typically, they want the shiniest, prettiest car that elevates their status, instead of the most trusted, reliable and consistent performer. It’s largely not their fault. They have been conditioned to believe these things. You must help them see that what’s under the hood is more important that the color of the paint–that the performance is more important than the appearance.

Models are used for imitation and replication. We all need models. The Apostle Paul wrote that someone could have 10,000 teachers and no father, thus they were to model or imitate him (1 Corinthians 4:15). We all need models, because we are filled with deficiencies, defects and deficits. Models show us why we need growth, how to grow and where to grow. The wrong models will never provide the right vision for growth. Models give us examples to see. And appearance is important to Millennials.

Lesson #3 – Millennials have a bent more toward being concerned with how they externally appear than how they internally constructed. Their undeniable lack of emotional maturity and subsequently, emotional intelligence, insulates their ability to think very circumspectly outside of themselves. They were not told “life isn’t fair,” “there is one winner and a bunch of losers,” or “you want something,  go work for it.” They were told, “great trying,” “wow, you are special,” and “here is ribbon for 12th place.” Their ignorance is your responsibility, if you want to develop them. You will never win them if you don’t understand them.

Lesson #4 – Millennials lack maturity and your frustration or disdain doesn’t help them gain more maturity. Your frustration pushes them away. We live in a development climate that senior leaders must adapt their systems and styles of development like never before. Human nature doesn’t change, but because of our access to information and our inflated self-evaluations, our systems of development must change. You have to earn their right to be their model and your title and position is not enough.

Lesson #5 – Millennials are not looking for fun, they are looking for engagement. Don’t mistake entertainment with engagement.  At the deepest level this is what it is. Because of social media and the constant connectivity of their world, we live in an era of over-stimulation. Engagement is your ability as a leader to connect at an appropriate level, (a) which starts with the heart, (b) shapes thoughts, and (c) influences behaviors. Effective leaders who work with Millennials are able to paint a picture of the future that aligns and appeals to the Millennnial, but is in harmony with the needs and goals of the organization. Leaders often get frustrated with having to “cater” to Millennials. Let me encourage you not to see your adjustments as catering, but as connecting. If you don’t connect with the millennials in your organization, their departure will be hastened.

Lesson #6 – Millennials see themselves as highly mobile with an upward destination–they are always looking for what is next. You become more effective as you become more accepting of this. Millennials as a whole (of course not all of them) don’t understand loyalty the way previous generations do. I don’t like it, but it is the reality of our day. When you are willing to engage and help your millennial leader explore the future, then the by-product is more loyalty.

Millennials see you as either helping them or holding them back. There is no middle ground. If you want to be effective at developing Millennials as leaders, then you must help them see that your system increases their competitiveness in a highly competitive landscape. They must see that your system values their individuality and helps them move forward.

This is what Gen Xers and Baby Boomers often fail to see–how competitive the landscape is and how hard (in their minds) progress actually is. What this really means is to a millennial is pressure. Millennials see opportunities without clear solution paths which increases anxieties, fears and stress. You, the more mature leader, know the pitfalls and realities of life they aren’t seeing. But, when you play the expert as opposed to promoter, then Millennials have a tendency to move on. The most effective developers of Millennials I have seen really do promotion well–they are (in today’s lingo) the “hype-man.” You may not like it, agree with it or believe in it, but it is true. Hype is for a Millennial is belief. When you hype them, they feel you believe in them. For many of us, to hype someone goes against everything we believe in and stand for. Don’t be afraid of it, hype is just a modern way to think about encouragement, attention and praise. Everyone likes encouragement, just as every millennial likes to be hyped! I’m not encouraging you to resort to flattery, but don’t be afraid to take your organizational encouragement to a new level and explore new methods.

Lesson #7 – Millennials are going to move on, don’t be afraid to talk about it. They don’t know this causes you anxiety. They are discussing it among themselves. You must create a system that encourages them to move on. This will engage them on a deeper level for you.

I spend time with a lot of leaders who are afraid of their people moving on. This is an error. Don’t be afraid to talk about your Millennials moving on. In fact, you increase your credibility with your Millennials when you talk about what they will do next in life. When your people see that you are not afraid to loose them, they will often stay longer. I don’t have any science to back me up, but by the behavior I have observed, there is clear evidence that this has a reverse-psychological effect, which in turn often creates greater capacity for patience. Stop trying to keep them and start preparing to help them leave. In doing this, you become their model.

Conclusion

The bottom line is this: If you want to go up, then you have to grow up. This is for both the Baby Boomer/Gen Xer and the Millennial. Don’t play the expert. Be a learner. Some of the greatest joy you will ever experience is the joy of seeing a young leader who you’ve poured into grow, blossom and bear fruit. Invest deeply and be prepared to let go. This requires patience and selflessness. Chances are, one day you will look up and see a “mini-me” looking back at you!

Develop leaders, it’s always worth it.

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

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The Power of Making a Difference – Lessons for Leaders

Everyone wants to be different, but very few people really want to make a difference. Making a difference is a nice idea, but actually making a difference has a price that all but a few are willing to pay.

“I was brought up to believe that a person must be rescued when drowning…”

Irene Sendler

Do you know the story of Irene Sendler?

It is fascinating, terrifying and inspiring. Irene Sendler lived in Poland during World War II. The Nazis had invaded her country and were rounding up Jews and placing them in ghettos (preparing them for extermination). When you are faced with insurmountable odds you can either think of yourself or you can think of others. Most people simply think about themselves. In order to make a difference, a positive difference you must not count your life as valuable. You must lay your life down for others. Irene Sendler did this.

She was a social worker. This gave her access to the Jewish Ghettos. Now when she became a social worker did she think, “Hey, one day, I am going to win a Nobel Peace Prize for my efforts in helping children?” By her own admission, not a chance. She became a social worker to help others. But, she didn’t quit her job when the Nazis took over, she kept working. And her work gave her a social work card. This card allowed her access to the ghettos. And she got involved. She began smuggling Jewish orphans, babies and children out of the ghettos. She would place them with sympathetic Polish families who would raise them. Each child she smuggled out, she would place their name in a glass jar and bury it in the ground in hopes of reuniting children with parents after the war (very few were ever reunited as almost all of the parents were exterminated in camps).

What kind of a difference did she make?

She rescued some 2,500 children from certain death.

People that make a difference see a need and get involved. 

To make a difference in your world something drastic and dramatic must occur. But, most who desire to make a difference will not choose the drastic thing. Instead they will choose the easy thing, the convenient thing or the thing that benefits them the most. This drastic thing happens inside you at your very core where no one else can see, where no one else can touch, and no one else resides. What you must choose, because like taking an exit off the highway it is a choice of departure, is to intentionally forget about yourself. No, please do not forget to brush your teeth, wash your clothes or put on deodorant. In order to make a difference, you must get out of the way and get involved.

Every coach knows this to be true: Spectators never make a difference, but Participants do.

Making a difference is actually pretty simple. Most people who want to make a difference, don’t often know where to start. The good news is you don’t need a commission to make a difference, you don’t need money, you don’t need power, you don’t need a network and you don’t need vision. You just need to see a need and respond. Let’s make it simple…

Those who make a difference:

A. Live intentionally. When you live intentionally you don’t miss your moments. Your moments are your opportunities. Leonard Ravenhill said,

“The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

You can waste your opportunities and miss your moments when you live unintentionally. An unintentional life is a life that lacks focus. An unfocused life, leads to a frustrated and often wasted life. Focus demands preparation and attentiveness. If you are only attentive to your needs, your wants and your wishes, then you will miss your moments and waste your opportunities. Opportunities don’t last for ever. So if you don’t seize the opportunity, then you will miss it. And when you miss, you don’t make a difference.

You say you want to make a difference in the lives of your children, your marriage or your employees, but merely thinking about something never made a difference. The way you rescue a drowning person is to jump in or throw them something (depending on your training). You don’t rescue a drowning person by watching from the shore shouting “You can do it!”  You get involved.

B. Live in their why. The stronger your why, the higher you can fly.

Knowing your why simply means your purpose, your calling and your motivation. Your why is where you build from, launch dreams from and make a difference in the lives of others from. People who live for the why-of-me make little difference in their world. They are always looking for someone to meet their needs and make a difference in their lives. Sadly today, many people today have no idea about their why, their purpose, their calling and subsequently their motivation is inward focused instead of outward focused.

Those who make a difference live in a different land.  This land can be anywhere on earth. When you have your why right, you begin to live in a new land. These difference makers live in the land of opportunity. The land of opportunity is full of optimism and positivity not depression and negativity. The land of opportunity is a mindset that is different from mere opportunity. Mere opportunity is unexpected and must be acted upon quickly. People who live in their why are looking for opportunity. When you live in the land of opportunity, you are on the hunt to help others and expect opportunities to open up.

C. Live in the light of eternity. Those that truly make a difference realize that they are small part of something much bigger than themselves. Those that don’t make a difference feel that they are a big part of something very small and insignificant. When you live in light of eternity, you begin to realize that there is always a next.

Have you ever woken up to not have a tomorrow?

There’s always something next. I mean if you’re breathing, then you’ve taken a next breath. If you’re walking, then you’ve taken the next step. If you went to sleep and woke up, then you’ve had a next day. Living in light of eternity gives you a different perspective on your life and the value of others’ lives. There is a next after this life. Those that make a difference realize that what you do in this life affects. Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the movie Gladiator said it well,

“What we do in this life echoes in eternity.“

As a Christian, I not only believe that what you do echoes in eternity, but that it is written in eternity. Your soul is stirred by eternity. Eternity is a gentle yearning on the soul of every man, woman, boy and girl that has ever walked upon the face of the earth. Our souls long for more, for higher and for freedom. These are the cries of eternity.  Jesus was crystal clear on this topic when he said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, but store up for yourselves treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). Those who truly make a difference value the eternal weight of people, especially the people closest to you.

D. They live in the library. The library is where we find stories. We find good stories and bad stories. Exciting stories and boring stories. There are only two places that you can live: fiction or nonfiction, fantasy or reality. Too many people spend their entire lives living in their own fiction section. Their story is fiction. A life of fiction is a life of self-deception. You can’t read yourself into a story that is already been written. Every person has a biography, but not every person has a biography worth reading.

I mean, Chick-fil-A, nailed it. They made a video called “Every Life has a Story.” It’s a vignette of walking through a restaurant and reading a caption that summarizes the story of each persons’ life both in front of and behind the counter. I tell my people all the time, we are not real people serving robots. We are not robots serving real people. We are significant people serving significant people. Seeing people as significant will make a difference in your world and their world. Treating people as significant will make even a bigger difference. The more significant you treat people, the greater the impact you can make in their life.

The greatest story ever told is the story of Jesus Christ. You want to study a story worth emulating? Study his story! If you don’t like your story, stop trying to change that which has already been written and start trying to write a new chapter. Turn the page. Get out of the fantasy and into the reality. Get out the fiction section and start writing your biography. The most powerful biographies are not the stories of great exploit and conquest, but the stories that impacted other people the most.

Conclusion

You don’t need a degree to make a difference. You don’t need money. You don’t need to be famous or appreciated. You simply need to be willingly, see a need and then respond to make difference. Irene Sendler saw a need, used what she had and did what she could. She paid a high price. Her ankles and wrists were broken from a beating at the hands of the Gestapo. She was sentenced to execution, but managed to be freed to live in hiding for the rest of the war. She wasn’t recognized until the end of her life. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She didn’t see herself as a hero. She said,

“The term ‘hero’ irritates me greatly. The opposite is true. I continue to have pangs of conscience that I did so little.”

Those who respond make a difference, those who refuse are really no different at all.

 

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

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What If – The Breakthrough Question

We’ve all played the “what if” game and it has left us paralyzed, put out and powerless. What if this all goes wrong. What if this doesn’t work out. What if I fail. What if I never reach my potential or get the results I want…STOP!

If this kind of what if describes your thinking, then before you get new results, you need to get a new attitude. What if can be a powerful question, but with a negative attitude it becomes an impotent question.

I used to hate the “what if” game, until I realized how powerful of a statement it could actually be. If I view what if under a positive lens, then it can be an incredibly propelling and powerful question. However, what if is most often a question that leads us to a set of negative conclusions. Let’s imagine you could change your thinking by asking this one simple question that would then lead you to a positive conclusion or a healthy diagnosis of your present reality.

What if could become the catalyst question for your personal development or your organizational development. Perhaps, your inability to ask questions that move your thinking forward has a become a barrier to your progress. If you try an simply go around the barrier, you will depart your course or chart a path that is difficult for you team to find and follow. The barrier will do one of three things: (1) cause you to quit, (2) cause you to change course (which may or may not be the right decision) or (3) make you ask better questions that drive you to better results.

Examining Your Presuppositions

“What if” is actually a statement of future belief based upon your existing presuppositions. The problem is most of us that have played the “what if” game with negative presuppositions. When you view life through a negative lens, you get a negative picture of the future. When you allow others to poison your well with their negativity, then you get a warped view of a possible future. When something is warped, it is distorted. Negativity hyper-distorts problems, solutions and outcomes. Today many of our leaders, followers, organizations and results demonstrate a bias towards negative thinking, which is evidence of a warped & distorted lens.

Most of our “what if’s” are born of fear, not of faith. Suppose you began to have a greater belief in your future. What might that lead you to? How might that inspire you, others and your organization. See, faith frees the mind to imagine previously impossible outcomes.

Breakups that Lead to Breakthroughs 

How do I get there? How do I get my organization there?

You need a breakthrough. But, before you can get to a breakthrough, you need a breakup. Now, historically, we have considered breakups to have a negative connotation. However, if you are a boat stuck in ice, in order to move, you must break up the ice. If you are a farmer with a field that needs planting, then you must break up the soil. There are thoughts that fill your mind and attitudes that fill your heart that need to be broken up. These thoughts are barriers to your growth.

“…break up your unplowed ground…” Hosea 10:12

Your unplowed ground is the hardness that has set in because of your negative view of the future. Negativity limits your possibilities of the future. It doesn’t limit God’s possibilities, but it limits your ability to access these possibilities. Before you sew the new seeds of what if that come from a renewed since of understanding and purpose, you must plow up your soil. It must be tilled. Too many leaders and organizations are stuck with unfruitful fields, because they are working with dull plows, hard ground and negative attitudes.

The seed can’t break through the soil until it’s been planted. Change is the seed. We live in a generation that doesn’t want to plant, just reap. There will be no reaping without planting, germinating and waiting. The seed must be planted in good soil. The seed must germinate and be nurtured. And then you must wait. But, if you have done all you can do, then you have to allow God to do what only He can do—give the increase. Many of your dreams, ideas and what if’s don’t produce because you didn’t give them to God to supply the increase. If you believe in God, let me ask you a question: Who can make the seed grow better: You or God?

The answer is unequivocally God. Promotion is from God. Increase is from God. Never forget that you did not create your own success–you simply went to work adn God joined in.  God has given you favor and granted you an opportunity to steward more. So, when a breakthrough happens, this is God allowing you an opportunity for more–don’t waste opportunities God gives you.

Breaking Through

Breakthrough is a sudden and dramatic change that leads to a more positive position in the future or path to a new future and changes the trajectory of growth.

When the seed breaks through the soil, something new is happening. Organizations get stuck, because they want instantaneous turn around. Let me make this clear, You don’t need to turn around, unless you are going the wrong direction! I can, actually, be going the right direction, but have my progress impeded. In this case, it’s not a new course you need, but a new change.

Organizations, teams and leaders need change, because without change there will never be transformation. Change is the process by which something undergoes specific and distinct steps that leads to transformation.

Tim Tassopolous, President IMG_8678of Chick-fil-A, says a breakthrough “is a critical change that creates dramatic improvement and sustains results.”

The reason we don’t see more breakthroughs is we have a callous attitude instead of a constructive & critical attitude. Now, I’m not reverting back to negativity, in critical I mean a “significant and constructive” attitude willing to acknowledge error and correct immediately as needed. Breaking through can be difficult. If you think you have experienced a breakthrough, but don’t see a dramatic improvement, then your change only created more callousness and confusion. The other idea Tim communicates is that this breakthrough creates a path that sustains results. Consistency is one of the keys to excellence and trust. If something is inconsistent, then ultimately it will become distrusted. But, when something or someone is consistent, then trust builds.

The Force before the Fruit

If you are looking for results before you experience a true and lasting breakthrough, then you will most likely be disappointed, which will lead you back to more entrenched negativity. But, if, like a patient farmer, you nurture the change, when it comes it will be sudden, dramatic and lasting. The reason why is because you let the energy that is growing within the change get to the point of no return. Too often, despite good intentions, leaders try to rush the growth process. This robs the process of its power. When the plant is ready to breakthrough the soil, then the force will be adequate and sustaining. If you try to pull the plant out of the seed, out of the soil, you will destroy the growth and life in the thing.

Let the force build in the change, and the fruit of sustainability and improvement will be lasting and impactful.

Conclusion

What if is a powerful question that if viewed with a positive attitude can be a catalyst for the breakthrough that has been eluding you or your organization. This question can lead you to dream and see beyond where you currently are. What if is really a question about more, not less. God has more for you, but in order to receive this, you must give more to God. Sadly, too often, we give God less and expect more from him. This demonstrates our desire to be in control and our lack of faith.

The rest of the verse in Hosea says, “…for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Seeking the Lord is seeking a breakthrough. When you hear from God, everything changes. Your faith grows and then comes the rain. Rain in the Bible is a sign of God’s favor and blessing.  What if you set your heart on seeking God and allowed him to refine your attitudes and thoughts — what change might you really see then?

Bottom Line: Breakthroughs Lead to Blessings.

 

 

(c) Alex Vann, 2017

 

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Leadership is an Exercise in Patience

Leadership is like a muscle. It doesn’t grow just because you want it to. It doesn’t grow because you dream of it growing. Growth and skilled leadership take real work, hard work and most of all patience. Hard work means patience. Hard work means practice.  This combination of practice and patience establish the rhythm by which the leadership muscle is perfected.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James 1:5 (NKJV)

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Me as a freshman at Hardin-Simmons University, 1995. An impatient outside linebacker.

Those Who Stay will be Champions 

I played five sports (football, basketball, baseball, wrestling and soccer) in high school and in all of them our practice-to-game ratio was a combined average about 3:1 or 4:1. That means we practiced 300 to 400% more than we played games! And that was during the season. Each season before the first game, we practiced nearly a month before the first game. That means before our first significant test, match or game it was a nearly 20-25:1 ratio –2000-2500% more  practice before the first game!  I think when you start to break down hours spent in practice versus hours spent in game time, the ratio is probably much more pronounced. I would go on to the next level. Little did I know as you advance in athletics, in life, in relationships and especially in leadership, the next level always requires more patience. I watched many players start with a lot of talk, but grew impatient quickly and quit.

Higher levels = more practice. I discovered this playing NCAA III football at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas under Head Coach and West Texas legend, Jimmie Keeling, who loved to practice. He’d say things like “Men, this is where we get better” as you had sweat pouring in your eyes in the 116 degree West Texas oven.  Nearly, every day in team meeting he would say “W-I-N. What’s Important Now?” and he would go on to say things like, “Practice, men, practice…” in his west Texas drawl with a sly smile and a twinkle in his eye. Too many developing leaders view practice as a waste of time. This does not allow for healthy development in leadership acumen.

Always one to value my personal time, I calculated that between three-a-days (three practices a day in summer), working out, watching film, meetings, actual practice time, team meals, extra work and logistics, I spent anywhere from 80-100 hours some weeks for a 3 hour football game of which a starter would be on the field 20-30 minutes of actually game time. With the average play lasting only 6-8 seconds, college football is primarily a game of preparation for a split second of execution. Just like leadership, many decisions have to be made in a split second.  That’s why in football, you drill, drill, drill and more drill. Many leaders don’t think that what they are doing when they are waiting matters. They couldn’t be more wrong! There is not a wasted play or wasted practice in leadership development. Preparation finds its identity in practice. Practice it’s perfection in repetition. Patience and practice have a way of weeding people out.  Coach Keeling with an astounding combined college and high school coaching record of 368-144-11, used to always say “Those who stay will be champions!” He meant if you lose sight of the goal and get impatient, then you will never achieve what you started out after. He meant patience is the key to success.

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“Those who stay will be champions!” 

Former Hardin-Simmons Head Football Coach and one of my Heroes,

Jimmie Keeling

Leadership is Perfected in Practice 

Leadership is not a game. It is a continual, commitment that requires and demands practice. Leadership is perfected in and only in practice. Great players didn’t come out of the womb great. They came out gifted. It’s the combination of practice and patience that fostered greatness.

An impatient leader is a poor leader. Zeal and enthusiasm are important in leadership, but single-handedly they cannot produce growth. But, they can sure produce a lot of frustration. Impatient leaders don’t produce good followers, more leaders or greater inlfluence. Impatient leaders produce the fruits of frustration and exhaustion. The reality is impatient leaders produce anxiety, accelerate stress and create a climate of more impatience.  Impatience is water running downhill. It erodes and the quicker it moves the faster it erodes.

Patience is not a barrier. Barriers are concrete objects that prevent progress. Barriers have to smashed. Leaders do little smashing and lots of chiseling. Patience is a boundary. Boundaries can be rescinded or extended. A boundary gives you space to operate in and grow in.

Patience Means Sometimes You Walk Away

Wise leaders establish boundaries, organize the work and walk away. This is not the walking away of irresponsibility, but the walking away of patience. Your followers will never grow if you don’t give them room. But this is room inside the boundaries. There is a time where mature leaders must walk away and allow their immature, developing  leaders the opportunity to learn patience. Even among millennial leaders (who demand constant feedback), I intentionally give them more space than they are comfortable with. Now, a wise leader walks away to an elevated position of observation, but not so far away they are unable to engage in a moment of need.

The Lesson of the Lifeguard

Like the lifeguard stationed at the deep end of a pool, take up a position that allows you to observe the confidence, competence and judgment of the leader you just let loose.

When they start to overexert themselves, let them sink a little. This requires patience on their part and your part. Sometimes,  they thrash violently, but then regain equilibrium. Leave them alone at this point. But, when their sinking is causing others to go under or everyone starts getting out of the pool, then decisively, directly and without discussion dive in the pool and rescue them. It takes patience to sit and watch a young leader struggle, but they will not grow without patience, both their own and yours.

The half-drowned swimmer looks at the lifeguard and says, “You almost let me drown. Why did you wait so long!?“

The lifeguard smiles and replies softly, “Are you sill breathing? Now, get back in there and do it again.”

(c) Alex Vann, 2017.